Bending the Bars
by Lothian
Summary: Neji suffered from the two phobias; of being imperfect, and of being touched. Unfortunately he didn't know his therapist was in his circle of friends. AU. Sasuke Uchiha x Neji Hyuuga.


**Before I insult everyone: I have been in therapy for the past eight years, so yes I do know what I'm talking about. I am not trying to insult anyone here. **

**I do not own NARUTO (:**

**AGES: 20-22**

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Neji glanced around at the sterile white room. Information leaflets lay neatly in a pile, most of them about attention deficit disorder. A few posters were plastered to the walls about obsessive-compulsive disorders, phobias and eating disorders.

The secretary typed away at her keyboard, her pink hair catching the light now and then.

"Hyuuga Neji?"

A man had opened the white door, and was gazing appraisingly at Neji. The man had very dark eyes, almost black, which were framed by long lashes and raven locks, which framed his face. He was smartly dressed a crisp white shirt and a very dark blue pair of jeans; obviously everything he wore was designer, as the cut was so perfect.

Neji stood and made his way towards the man, who stretched out his hand towards him.

He took the man's hand. It was warm and much larger than Neji's, but Neji seemed to feel that his hand fit perfectly into the man's own.

"Uchiha Sasuke, pleased to meet you."

**…**

Sasuke glanced down at the patient's file. He suffered from chiraprophobia, an intense fear of being touched intimately, and atelophobia, another intense fear of imperfection. Then he glanced up at his patient. Neji wore his hair long, his coffee coloured locks were however, bound together at the back. His face was an ivory colour, and his eyes were framed by dark lashes, which complimented the colour of his eyes; a lavender colour.

"Please take a seat Neji."

Neji took one, appearing awkward and ill at ease with the new surroundings. Sasuke took in the way Neji's eyes flickered from the open window, to the door, and to the fire exit, and then back again.

'He looks for an exit in case he needs to escape quickly.'

"Do you mind if I write down what we discuss here today?"

"No, please feel free to do so."

Sasuke made a small note of Neji's search for an exit.

"Would you like a coffee?" Sasuke asked, politely, hoping it might calm Neji a little.

"No thank you, I'm fine."

'No you're not, otherwise you wouldn't be here.'

A silence stretched between them. Sasuke did not like to push his patient's in to saying anything.

Instead Sasuke retrieved a box from under his desk. He tipped the contents on to the desk between them. Animals lay scattered around the desk.

"Neji, I'm going to ask you the classical psychology question, would you please select an animal for each of your family member."

Neji obliged. A cat, mouse, hare and finally a bird.

Sasuke contemplated the selection.

"Would you like to tell me which family member you associate with each animal?"

"Not really no. But I have to, so I will."

'Challenging.' Sasuke made a note of this too.

"The hare, I pick for my cousin Hanabi. She's always quick to run out of situations she doesn't like facing. The mouse I pick for my other cousin. She's shy and very timid and hesitates about a lot of things. The cat I pick for my uncle, because cats eat mice and sometimes hares. The birds I pick for my father, or I would pick for my father if he was alive, again because cats eat birds."

Sasuke made a few notes.

"You're good at deciphering what you do aren't you? That's a good quality to have. But I have one last question for you, who would you say you were?"

Neji stared down at the selection of animals. Instead of taking a new animal he took the bird again but kept his hands clamped tightly around it.

"Why aren't you putting the bird down?" Sasuke inquired.

"Because it's a caged bird. It can't fly away."

"I see. I suppose we need to find away to release that bird don't we?"

"If it helps me get better, then yes."

"Oh, it will."

**…**

Neji was tired. He hadn't been sleeping well lately. He made his way down to the subway, and sighed in exasperation when he saw his train had been delayed.

He slumped down in to a seat, and gazed idly at the people on the platform, some chattering, while others listened to music. It was interesting how they all had their little groups, how they seemed to fine a place where they belonged, and people they got on well with.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Neji started.

Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of him.

"Naruto? I didn't realize you knew…" Neji cut off. He hadn't told anyone he had been seeing a therapist. It was something he felt ashamed of. Sasuke did not fail to notice the hesitation and uncertainty in Neji's voice. He stayed quiet, instead of giving Neji away.

"Huh?"

"Nothing Naruto. How are you?"

"I'm fine, me and Sasuke are on the way to a bar! Would you like to come?"

Neji contemplated, on one hand he would be seeing his therapist out of therapy hours, but on the other hand he wouldn't have to go home.

"Firstly Naruto, it's Sasuke and I, and secondly, yes. I could use the distraction." He muttered the last part under his breath, but Sasuke did not miss it.

"Great! I'm sure you and Sasuke will get on brilliantly!" Naruto stooped low to whisper in to Neji's ear, "But he's a therapist, so don't get creeped out if he analyzes you, OK?"

"Right." Neji replied dully.

**…**

It was pouring. The rain hammering on the rooftop of the subway sounded like somebody crushing a coke can.

Neji gazed out of the window, watching the city lights warp with the rain running down the window.

"Neji! Stop being so anti-social! Talk to us!" Naruto flung an arm carelessly around Neji's shoulder. Sasuke did not miss the way Neji winced and drew back, retreating to some invisible cocoon.

"Naruto, I don't think Neji appreciates his space being taken from him."

Naruto glanced down at Neji, who stared irritably back at Naruto.

"Ah, sorry Neji, I forgot, you don't like people taking your personal bubble."

**…**

The bar was an expensive one. Sleek, shiny and new; apparently the newest it scene.

Cocktails were served by the dozen, and plenty of shots on the house were being handed around for free.

Neji could feel a familiar feeling of trepidation creeping up on him. He couldn't handle his liquor. He had never told Naruto this for fear of being mocked, but at that moment it could be a problem.

Sasuke watched Neji silently, watched the uncertainty creep up on his face, how he checked for exits, and how he watched the people around him in fear, as though scared on of them would recognize him and go up to hug him.

Naruto was already busy ordering drinks, and Neji was feeling a certain amount of anxiety now.

"How's Hinata-chan Neji? She said she'd phone me, but she hasn't, and it's kind of worrying me a little."

The uncertainty fell away from Neji's face and he smirked.

"Hasn't she told you yet?"

"Hasn't she told me what yet?" Naruto asked indignantly.

"Well… Let's just put it this way, you're going have to start saving up some money nowadays Naruto, and maybe started looking through baby names."

"What in the name of all that is holy are you talking about?"

Sasuke cut in.

"What Neji is saying Naruto, is that your Hinata-chan is pregnant."

"Precisely." Neji smirked.

Naruto's mouth fell open to form a comical 'O'.

"I… I'm gonna be a dad… A father! I'm going to have a child!"

A grin replaced his shocked face, stretching from ear to ear.

"Guys I have to go, I have to go see Hinata-chan."

He hugged them both and left some money for the drinks and was off.

"I did not know you knew Naruto, Neji." Sasuke said, sipping his drink.

"Oh, I do, I know him from Karate class. He beat me once when we were younger, and told me to stop being such a cold prick. He's pretty cool. And now he's going out with my cousin, Hinata."

"Sounds kind of nice, at least you know he's a good guy."

Neji nodded, sipping his drink and immediately pulling a face. To stop Sasuke laughing he asked, "How do you know Naruto?"

"From school, childhood friends." The reply was short but gave him a satisfactory answer.

Neji again attempted to drink the foul liquid but again pulled a face.

Again he asked a question, "Is it normal for therapists to go out for a drink with their patients?"

Sasuke considered.

"Depends. I often find you learn a lot more if you go out in an every day situation with a patient, you understand them much better, and there isn't that feeling of being trapped in a room with someone you don't really want to talk to from the patient's side. I have often gone out on a few dates with my patients, for example those with eating disorders, to see how they at around food, or those who have a problem with small spaces, to see what they do when confronted with a situation that isn't to their liking. It also gives the feeling that you're normal when you're not in practice."

Neji nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"What do you do in your free time, Neji?"

"That's a therapist's question I guess."

Sasuke considered.

"In a way yes, and in a way no, I am genuinely interested."

Neji looked at Sasuke, as though summing him up.

"I have karate which I practice, and meditation which I do every day, it helps against the panic."

Sasuke nodded understandingly.

"And what about friends? Every day situations?"

Neji looked again towards the exit.

"It's complicated. I don't like going out too much, and I'm not really one for socializing, unless it's to get away from the stress my Uncle is putting on me."

"I see. So you have no girlfriend?"

At this Neji's skin turned a shade of pink, he lowered his eyes and asked, "Is that really a therapist's question?"

"Oh yes. It sounds strange doesn't it? But it adds to the jigsaw of who your patient is. You can tell a lot by a person if they have a girl or boy friend or not."

Neji seemed to absorb this information, then he looked directly at Sasuke and said, "No I don't. But I thought that would be obvious because of what it says in my files, and my records."

Sasuke cursed inwardly. 'Now he thinks I'm no good.'

"I'm sorry. But you know, just because you have a problem with intimacy it doesn't mean you don't have a girlfriend."

Neji's eyes clouded over; confused.

"Well it does for me." He said eventually, and slightly defiantly.

Then a smirk formed on his face.

"What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

Sasuke smirked. A challenge.

"No. I don't like women."

Neji's mouth dropped. He had lost the challenge.

"Oh, alright then, but in that case, do you have a boyfriend?"

Sasuke contemplated the question.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Neji added quickly.

"No, I have no problem with answering. The answer is yes I had one, up until recently."

"What happened?" The question slipped from Neji's mouth, unwillingly.

Sasuke sighed somewhat.

"Well… I guess the sad thing is, is that they could be absolutely perfect and amazing, but they can still be the wrong one for you.

Neji remained somewhat silent. Then, "Why? What got in the way?"

"His job. He wanted to continue his study of medicine in Africa. He wanted me to come with him. I couldn't. And it's not fair for someone you love to ask you to chose between them or something you like doing, and something stable in your life. I wasn't just going to give everything up here and move to Africa. I had built up a life of my own here. You can't just give that up."

Neji nodded. "I understand."

Sasuke looked in to Neji's mauve eyes.

"I think you do."

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**AN: First time writing SasuNeji (and First Time writing AU.) Let me know what you think please.**


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